Brian Vincent

I have the box set vinyl which came with an excellent brochure. A really great period for our Cliff, and a well conceived and produced concept in celebration of the greatest pop singing balladeer of them all. He shall be 84 in 2 days time and still sells out venues anywhere he chooses.

His finest released material. Always uphill after "Tubular Bells" stunned the world, but a better overall solid album, for me. It was the same for Peter Frampton having to follow "Frampton Comes Alive", but he too, bettered it with his "I'm In You" album. As for Mike, the "Ommadawn" album is also better than "Tubular Bells", which is a one side pony, for me,but,....admittedly, one hell of a side!

How many more times can Cliff's old material be repackaged? We waited 13 years, ...yes,...13 years (!), for an album of new material, culminating in RISE UP,...despite, (by Cliff's own admission), over 400 NEW tracks being paraded in front of him and his team prior to the eventual selected menu for that fine album. Since RISE UP the albums are as predictable as fish with chips. This current album sounds okay, some of it quite fresh. Cliff's vocals are second to none, of course. It is hard to critique this release, being a bona-fide Cliffite, without wanting to give him a slap at his utter and complete failure to recognise new material initially recorded by Cliff, is forever indelibly stamped with his overriding authority. Admittedly, this new release is NOT just a case of slapping strings on old tracks. Clear effort and fresh twists have been thoughtfully applied at times, but as a Cliff fan arrested twice for fighting his cause, (literally and physically), I remain frustrated and underwhelmed. Seasonal releases, disguising high initial chart entry, only to be outside the top 100 within three weeks, is simply not damn good enough. Plenty of great vocals left in this unique artist (as long as he avoids the high notes), but this new album, for all it's productive finesse, can never be critiqued fairly in its own right, as Cliff's insistence of "sitting on the fence" is a far cry from the historical phrase attached to our Cliff of "always having his finger on the pulse ". 3 out of 5 is a fair reflection, as real Cliff fans know I am right, but we have to call him out occasionally, though too many times for me these last ten years. I worship the man, but I shall keep it real, and Cliff needs to get off his backside and do what he does best by bucking music trends with yet more new material, thus reminding the kids on the musical block that he is simply the GOAT. Just saying.